HOF chairman: 'Kobe will be honored the way he should be'

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has honored many NBA greats, and in August it will enshrine someone who’s gone far, far too soon.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame fully expects to induct Kobe Bryant as part of its 2020 class. Bryant was killed along with his daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash on Sunday.

Kobe Bryant will be a first-ballot enshrinement into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class of 2020.

"Expected to be arguably the most epic class ever with Kobe, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett," HOF chairman Jerry Colangelo says. "Kobe will be honored the way he should be."